Student protests continue

Clashes in Sopore, Pulwama; students demand release of school mates
Sopore/ Srinagar: Normal life was hit in Sopore town of north Kashmir on Thursday after clashes erupted between students and government forces.
Hundreds of students of Government boys degree college Sopore started protests against alleged forces’ highhandedness and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans near the college.
However, the police did not allow them to march in the town and used tear smoke shells to break their procession. This led to clashes in busy Iqbal market that forced shopkeepers to vacate the area.
The students of degree College also held protests inside the campus.
Protests have been continuing for the past two weeks against the Pulwama college incident in which government forces allegedly attacked students within the college premises.
In south Kashmir’s Pulwama town, where the student uprising began on April 15, a number of students held protests again demanding release of their school mates.
The protesting students later raising pro-azadi slogans marched towards the main chowk seeking release of the arrested students. As the students reached main chowk, the government forces who were deployed there in strength resorted to tear smoke shelling to drive them away. Angered over the forces action the protesting students pelted stones triggering clashes which continued for more than hour. The authorities later deployed additional contingents of forces in the entire township to keep the situation under control.
Meanwhile, all the shops, other business establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutions remained shut in the town while as traffic also remained off the town against the thrashing of some shopkeepers by the forces on Wednesday. One of the shopkeepers on Wednesday had lost his tooth after being beaten by the forces. The forces, locals alleged had also thrown away the goods of the shopkeepers.

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Launched in May 2012, Kashmir Reader is one of the leading English language newspapers of Jammu and Kashmir. It’s published daily from Srinagar by Helpline Group, which earned a name and fame in serious journalism